Compare the "Two Histories" with the "Eight Books". The "Second History" comes from the "Eight Books", but it is different from the "Eight Books" in many aspects. In addition to the two points mentioned above, it is also reflected in:
First, there are additions and deletions in the content. Don't. The "Two Histories" have advantages and disadvantages for the addition and deletion of the "Eight Books". The deleted parts are mostly the emperor's documents, edicts, ministers' memorials and articles, thus making the history compact, eye-catching and highly readable, which is an advantage. However, the "Second History" also deleted some important historical facts in the "Eight Books". This is the disadvantage. The added parts are mostly taken from prophecies and stories in miscellaneous histories, thus increasing the mystery of certain historical events and characters, which is a disadvantage. However, when Li Yanshou wrote the "Second History", he referred to more books, thus adding some important historical materials that were not originally included in the "Eight Books", expanding the length of some biographies, and even writing some additional biographies. This is a plus. It can be seen that on the issue of additions and deletions, the "Two Histories" and the "Eight Books" have their own pros and cons and cannot be treated simply.
Second, there are merits and virtues in calligraphy. During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, people wrote history, and many writers made mistakes due to many taboos. "History of the South" and "History of the North" made many corrections to these writings. For example, Wei Shou wrote the "Book of Wei" when Emperor Wenxuan of the Northern Qi Dynasty wrote the "Book of Wei". When everything related to what Gao Yang's father Gao Huan did in the Eastern Wei Dynasty, many songs were written to defend it; "History of the Northern Dynasty" mostly wrote it down according to the facts and made corrections. Although "Liang Shu" and "Chen Shu" were written by Yao Silian in the early Tang Dynasty, some of the historical manuscripts inherited the old works of his father Yao Cha, and Yao Cha relied mostly on the records of Liang and Chen historians, so there are many writings. For example, "Book of Liang" highly praised Xiao Hong, the king of Linchuan, praising him as "generous and honest" and "called an elder at times"; while "History of the South" revealed that he was a man of poor conduct, wanton accumulation, greed for life and fear of death. disciples. "Southern History" corrects "Chen Shu" more and more, "so that evil cannot be hidden". Of course, the "Two Histories" are not completely devoid of calligraphy, but generally speaking, the "Two Histories" are better than the "Eight Books" in terms of the merits of calligraphy.
Thirdly, there is a difference between traditional and simplified writing. The "Eight Books" has a total of 537 volumes, and the "Two Histories" has only 180 volumes, accounting for only one-third of the original volumes. This is the advantage of Li Yanshou's "deletion of words" and "concise narrative". Sima Guang, the author of "Zizhi Tongjian", praised "Southern History" and "Northern History" for "the simplicity of the narrative, compared with the official histories of the north and south, without complicated and obscene words", and that it can be regarded as "the best history in modern times". He also believed that Chen Shou After that, only Li Yanshou could compare with him. Because of this, the "Two Histories" are more widely circulated and more influential than the "Eight Books". Before the Northern Song Dynasty, many of the "Eight Books" were lost, but the "Two Histories" were completely preserved, which is the best proof.
Li Yanshou said in his preface that many of the historical materials he added came from the "miscellaneous histories" of the time, that is, the so-called "short novels", which have strong storytelling and a lot of oral materials. The characters are more vivid and can better reflect the real situation at that time. This kind of information can be found in the biography of He Tong in Southern History, the Chronicle of Emperor Xiaojing of the Eastern Wei Dynasty in Northern History, the biography of Gao Gao, the biography of Hu Lujin, the biography of Li Zhilian, and the biography of Ye Zhurong. However, it also contains a lot of ghost stories, rumors and prophecies, and jokes, which is another serious shortcoming. In short, in terms of the richness and completeness of historical materials, the History of the North and the South does not add to the Eight Books, but there are still some things that are better than the Eight Books. As a source of information for studying the history of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it can complement each other with the Eight Books and should not be neglected.
"Southern History" and "Northern History" also have some obvious shortcomings, which make them dross. For example, in terms of praising emperors and generals, in terms of slandering people's uprisings, in terms of promoting auspicious disasters, strange gods and absurd theories, many feudalist ideas and idealist historical views were spread. This is true not only of the "Two Histories" but also of the "Eight Books", but the form and degree are different. This is what we must pay attention to when reading the "Eight Books" and the "Two Histories".
Comparing the "Two Histories" with the "Eight Books" does not mean that the "Two Histories" can replace the "Eight Books", or on the contrary, that is not the correct attitude.
On the issue of the relationship between the "Two Histories" and the "Eight Books", the correct view should be:
(1) Regarding the different historical conditions for the writing of the "Two Histories" and the "Eight Books", The unique ideological interests of their authors, as well as the differences in their use of materials and forms of expression, should be analyzed and explained based on the actual situation; (2) The "Two Histories" and "Eight Books" reflect the historical features of the Southern and Northern Dynasties In terms of preservation and dissemination of historical knowledge of this period, each has its own contribution and has reasons and grounds that should be taken seriously. We should not praise or criticize between them;
(Three ) The purpose of comparing the "Two Histories" and the "Eight Books" is to summarize and explain their characteristics and advantages, so as to better understand them, and use the historical knowledge they provide that has been authenticated by us to contribute to today's society. Practical services. This is true for reading "Eight Books" and "Two Histories", and it is also true for reading other history books.